HELP - broken, bleeding toe, how to splint?

@~rosecityfarmgirl~@

Chirping
9 Years
Jul 17, 2010
141
0
99
Windsor
White Leghorn, 1 yr old
inside toe on left foot is broken, where nail meets toe it is bent straight up and bleeding, but not gushing
shes's standing on the other foot in my bathroom, i gave her a warm bath to clean the foot
i have an aspirin solution ready to give her to help with the pain
flock mates are another leghorn and Polish pullet
broke toe flying down from coop, landed wrong, and started bleeding immediately

I've called every vet in the city and county, NO one deals with chickens. Even the parrot vets wouldn't help me. I have thin wooden stir sticks that I can use to splint the foot, but HOW do I do it? I also have some basic First Aid supplies in the house - anti-bacterial piercing cleaner, peroxide, rubbing alcohol, antibacterial cream, etc.

How do I know if the nail is too far gone to be saved?

How long do I keep her indoors? I have a big wooden hutch that my pet rats live in, they will be relocated shortly and fresh shavings laid down so I can keep her out of the dirt and resting.

EDIT - I'm also home alone, so I need to know how to do this solo
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I'm so worried about my BABY!
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Is it just the toenail that is bent, or the actual tip of the toe? If it's just the tonail, put some disinfectant on it and let her go. If it is long, probably would be good to trim it down so it does not get caught on something.

I have never splinted a toe before, but I have several hens who appear to have broken their toes at various times without me noticing. So don't worry, as long as it doesn't get infected she will be perfectly fine. You could try laying a splint alongside it and wrapping it up tight with bandages, but she will most likely try and scratch it off. Chickens don't like having stuff on them, plus bandages on the foot could promote bacterial growth and possibly CAUSE infection if not replaced regularly. My advice would be to clean it up and let the hen sort it out. I'm not sure about trying to bend it back, as that may cause even more damage. Just be sure to watch it, because if the broken part does get infected you may need to remove the tip so it does not spread to the rest of the bird.

Perhaps someone who has done this before will be able to help more.
 
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You gave good advice.

I wouldn't splint it they do hate stuff on their toes.

Just put some iodine and the smallest band-aid you can find on the toe and some duct tape to help keep it on but try to keep it small.
 
Thank you! I gave her the water (no interest) and some homemade rat mix full of dried fruits, veggies, seeds, cereal etc, and she's eating well, but still standing on one leg. I got a closer look, and it looks like the nail is splintered off at the foot, but there is still nail attached to the foot. I will disinfect it, and see if the rest of the nail falls off - will it grow back into a proper nail?
 
If it's just the nail ya it will grow back just fine. If the whole toe was broken it might grow at an odd angle, but after it heals up the chickens don't seem to care. I have one with half a toe and she doesn't seem hindered by it at all!
 
Thank you everyone! I was so worried that it was going to be serious. It stopped bleeding, I used a bactein type spray, dried it, and coated it in polysporin. She's resting in a dark cage, with shredded paper for bedding, aspirin-water, and feed laced with a tiny bit of powdered garlic... just in case....
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